The Colorado Avalanche have long been a franchise marked by unpredictability and a mix of brilliance and chaos. While the team has enjoyed tremendous success in recent seasons—capturing the 2022 Stanley Cup and being a perennial playoff contender—there are certain statistical anomalies that make the Avalanche one of the most peculiar teams in the NHL. Whether it’s their offensive prowess, defensive inconsistency, or uncanny patterns in special teams, the Avalanche are anything but a conventional hockey team.
Here are three major statistics that prove the Colorado Avalanche are the NHL’s strangest team:
1. Elite Offensive Output, But Inconsistent Defense
One of the most striking aspects of the Colorado Avalanche is their offensive production. Over the past several seasons, the team has consistently ranked among the top in the NHL in goals scored per game. In 2023, for example, the Avalanche finished the regular season 5th in the league with an average of 3.48 goals per game. With players like Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, and Cale Makar, the Avalanche have one of the most dynamic offenses in the league. The team’s ability to produce goals at a rapid rate is a major reason they’ve been successful in both the regular season and the playoffs.
However, despite their offensive firepower, the Avalanche’s defense has often been inconsistent, making them one of the strangest teams in the league. The difference in their offense and defense is stark: while they are among the best at putting the puck in the net, they are often far from elite in preventing goals. In fact, the Avalanche finished 19th in goals against in the 2022-2023 season, allowing an average of 3.07 goals per game—well below their offensive output.
This dichotomy between offense and defense is what makes the Avalanche strange. The team is built to score, but their defensive inconsistency has occasionally hindered their overall performance. They have some of the most talented defensemen in the league, including Cale Makar—a Norris Trophy winner—but they also suffer from lapses in coverage, poor team defense, and occasionally shaky goaltending. The combination of high-scoring games and unpredictable defensive play creates a volatile product, where a 6-1 win one night could be followed by a 7-4 loss the next.
2. Home-Away Split: A Stark Contrast
The Colorado Avalanche’s home and away performances are also incredibly peculiar. The team’s success is often wildly different depending on where they play. While this isn’t unique to the Avalanche, the disparity in their home vs. away performance is particularly pronounced and statistically significant.
In the 2022-2023 regular season, the Avalanche posted a dominant home record of 29-7-5—a win percentage of .757. This is the mark of a top-tier team, with the comfort of home ice and the loud backing of their fans providing a distinct advantage. However, their road performance was another story. Colorado finished the season with a 19-14-8 record away from Ball Arena, good for a much lower win percentage of .563. This discrepancy between home and road play is surprising for a team with the caliber of talent that Colorado has, especially given that top contenders typically maintain solid play regardless of location.
What makes this home/away split so strange is that the Avalanche are one of the few top teams in the NHL that struggles significantly away from home. While other franchises like the Tampa Bay Lightning or Boston Bruins have been known for their ability to win consistently regardless of location, the Avalanche’s road issues persist year after year. Whether it’s the altitude factor at home, an over-reliance on their top players in certain situations, or perhaps a mental barrier when playing away, the Avalanche’s inability to dominate on the road remains one of the oddest patterns for a team of their caliber.
In fact, the Avalanche’s struggles away from home were evident in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs, where they were eliminated by the Seattle Kraken in the first round. The Avs struggled in road games during that series, contributing to their early exit despite having one of the most talented rosters in the league.
3. Special Teams Discrepancy: Power Play Dominance, Penalty Kill Woes
Another area where the Colorado Avalanche’s statistical profile becomes strange is their special teams performance. Typically, a successful team’s power play and penalty kill units are fairly balanced—showing either solid success on both or a strong performance in one and mediocrity in the other. But for the Avalanche, there is a striking imbalance: they have one of the best power plays in the league, yet their penalty kill is among the worst.
In the 2022-2023 season, Colorado finished 2nd in the NHL in power-play percentage at an impressive 26.0%. With an elite core of playmakers like MacKinnon, Makar, and Rantanen, the Avalanche are a constant threat with the extra man. Their power play is not only effective but also dangerous, moving the puck with speed and precision, creating high-quality scoring chances.
However, the team’s penalty kill tells a different story. Colorado finished 22nd in the league in penalty kill percentage at just 77.3%. This is a significant gap between their power play and penalty kill, and it creates a strange dynamic. While the team can take advantage of its opportunities on the power play, they often find themselves at a disadvantage when they are down a man. This issue is compounded by occasional undisciplined play, where the Avalanche take unnecessary penalties at critical moments.
The Avalanche’s struggles on the penalty kill have been a source of frustration for fans and analysts alike, especially considering their overall talent. With players like Devon Toews and Makar capable of playing solid two-way hockey, their penalty-killing struggles are perplexing. The inconsistency in this area has cost the team at times, particularly during key moments in the postseason or in tight games during the regular season.
Why It’s So Strange
The reason these statistics make the Colorado Avalanche one of the NHL’s strangest teams is that they defy conventional wisdom about championship-caliber teams. Typically, elite teams in the NHL are balanced on both sides of the puck, perform consistently at home and away, and manage to maintain a strong special teams presence across the board. The Avalanche, however, are far from typical. They score at an elite level but struggle defensively. They dominate on the power play but struggle on the penalty kill. And they play like world-beaters at home but often falter on the road.
Yet despite all of these oddities, the Avalanche are perennial contenders, with their mix of raw talent and high-end skill making them one of the most dangerous teams in the league. But these statistical anomalies contribute to the strange narrative of a team that is both elite and flawed—making them a fascinating and unpredictable team to watch.
In conclusion, the Colorado Avalanche’s bizarre statistical profile—highlighted by an explosive offense paired with inconsistent defense, a lopsided home/away record, and an unbalanced special teams performance—defies traditional expectations. While this makes them an exciting team to follow, it also raises questions about their ability to reach the pinnacle of the NHL again. It’s these quirks and inconsistencies that make the Avalanche one of the strangest, yet most entertaining, teams in the league.
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